NEW JERSEY NETS GUARD JASON KIDD (5) and the Nets' bench celebrate as time runs out in their Game 5 victory against Cleveland. The Nets beat the Cavaliers, 83-72, on Wednesday.

Cleveland ? They had overcome numerous injuries, trade rumors and talk of an eventual breakup for months. So with their season on the line, the New Jersey Nets did what they’ve always done. Survived.

“This has been the makeup of this team,” Jason Kidd said. “We were counted out.”

On Wednesday night, they got up off the mat again.

Kidd scored 20 points and the Nets delayed an early summer vacation with an ugly 83-72 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers to pull within 3-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

Doomed by an inability to execute down the stretch in this series, the Nets built a 22-point lead in the third quarter and then hung on for dear life – scoring just six points in the fourth quarter – to force a Game 6 on Friday night in East Rutherford, N.J.

“It goes back to the All-Star break,” Kidd said. “No one thought we were going to make the playoffs. We all believe in one another and support each other in good times and bad.”

How the Nets won was nothing short of a miracle.

New Jersey made one field goal in the fourth quarter on 1-of-15 shooting. The Nets were also only 4-of-10 from the free throw line in the final 12 minutes, with Kidd missing five foul shots in the last 56 seconds.

“The fourth quarter wasn’t pretty,” Kidd said. “Both teams were on fire defensively, not on the offensive side.”

Cleveland, which blew a chance to close out a series for the first time at Quicken Loans Arena, wasn’t much better in the fourth, shooting just 3-of-17 and scoring 13. The Cavaliers played the last 56 seconds without LeBron James, who hurt his right knee while scrambling for a loose ball with Kidd.

James led the Cavaliers with 20 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 16.